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Jack comments on NYC Rationalist Community - Less Wrong
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I wonder--is living with someone who shares your philosophical viewpoint a good idea? I'm not suggesting that we should all go live with fundamentalists just to be in contact with someone different, but living with someone whose beliefs are a mirror image of your own reeks of confirmation bias (especially if they are actively involved in the rationalist community). I lived with a very religious person for a year, and we managed to get along.
I have similar reservations about the rationalist community as a whole, especially in light of reading about that anti-evolutionist woman being booed at the atheists convention in Australia. As with almost all communities, some level of groupthink seems inevitable. Then again, I've never actually been to a meeting, so I'm only speculating.
What was wrong with booing that woman?
Edit: There seems to be some controversy about what the woman was doing. If she was attempting to be confrontational, I don't have a problem with the booing. Obviously if she was just saying she was a theist and asking a dumb question booing is a little harsh.
I'm guessing that the woman wasn't being disruptive, since PZ Myers (who never ignores a chance to bash his opponents) didn't explicitly say so--he just said that she asked a dumb question. In that case, the booing was extremely inappropriate. However, I see it as indicative of a larger phenomenon: atheists (and perhaps rationalists) developing a sort of group identity. This could very well be a bad thing because group identity often leads to groupthink and rationalization.